The new year has officially kicked off, and if the January 2026 Antutu charts are any indication, the performance wars have reached a fever pitch. The latest data reveals a landscape where the 4‑million‑point barrier is now the baseline for greatness, and the choice of silicon has never been more critical to a device’s identity.
In the premium tier, we see a heavy-hitting battle between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the Mediatek Dimensity 9500. Meanwhile, the midpremium and tablet segments show a market that is increasingly specializing, with specific chips carving out clear territories.
Top 10 flagship smartphones: Qualcomm vs. Mediatek at the summit
The flagship chart for January 2026 is a masterclass in optimization. While December saw a Qualcomm sweep, January paints a slightly more competitive picture. The Redmagic 11 Pro Plus continues its reign at No. 1 with a staggering average monthly score of 4,104,271. That’s no surprise because the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Redmagic’s signature active‑cooling fan allows the chip to sustain peak frequencies that standard glass‑sandwich phones simply can’t maintain.
But Mediatek is not backing down. The vivo X300 Pro Satellite Communication Edition has surged into second place, powered by the Dimensity 9500. With a score of 4,090,624, it indicates that the Taiwanese company’s flagship processor is now virtually indistinguishable from Qualcomm’s best in terms of raw power.
The rest of the top 10 is almost entirely a Snapdragon‑heavy affair. The realme GT8 Pro, the iQOO 15, and the HONOR Magic8 series all comfortably cleared the 3.9‑million mark using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Notably, HONOR remains the most prolific brand on the list, occupying three consecutive spots with the Magic8 Pro, the performance‑tuned HONOR WIN, and the standard Magic8.
Rounding out the bottom of the list are the OnePlus 15 at No. 8 and Xiaomi’s REDMI K90 Pro Max at No. 9, both powered by Qualcomm’s flagship 3nm silicon to maintain a significant lead over last‑generation hardware. Interestingly, the chart is bookended by vivo, which managed to slip the standard Dimensity 9500‑based vivo X300 into the 10th spot — making it the only other Mediatek device to crack the flagship rankings this month.
Top 10 subflagship smartphones: Mediatek’s midrange monopoly
If Qualcomm owns the money‑is‑no‑object tier, Mediatek has effectively evicted everyone else from the subflagship neighborhood. The January rankings show the manufacturer occupying the top seven spots, a feat that highlights just how much the Dimensity 8000 series has matured.
The HONOR Power2 takes the gold here, using the Dimensity 8500 Elite to hit a score of 2,218,856. Following closely is a trio of OPPO Reno15 and Reno14 models powered by the Dimensity 8400‑Max and Dimensity 8450. These chipsets deliver performance that would have topped the flagship charts just two years ago, offering incredible value for consumers who want flagship‑level speed without the six‑figure price tag.
Qualcomm finally makes an appearance at No. 8 with the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2‑powered REDMI Note 12 Turbo, but the gap is widening. The performance difference between the top‑ranked Mediatek device and the first Qualcomm entry in this category is nearly a million points — a staggering margin that suggests Qualcomm has work to do in the midrange.
Top 10 tablets: HONOR stands alone in the 4M club
The tablet market is currently split between the MagicPad and everyone else. The HONOR MagicPad3 Pro 13.3 is the undisputed king of Android tablets, scoring 4,032,958. By equipping this 13.3‑inch slate with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, HONOR has created a device that is essentially a flagship phone in a desktop‑sized body.
The gap to the second‑place OPPO Pad 4 Pro — also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — is significant, likely due to thermal management differences. Interestingly, the H3C MegaBook holds onto the third spot. While it runs the Intel Ultra 5 228V, its inclusion on an Android chart underscores the growing trend of x86‑based 2‑in‑1 units running Android subsystems with surprising efficiency.
Towards the bottom of the list, the Dimensity 9400 and 9400 Plus power entries from iQOO, vivo, and REDMI, showing that Mediatek is beginning to challenge Qualcomm’s grip on the premium tablet space as well.
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